Topics covered in this chapter

The importance of raised awareness of values is illustrated by a story of recovery in schizophrenia.

Other topics include:

• Crises and shared values

• NICE guidelines

• Person-centered and multidisciplinary assessment

• Assessment of strengths (StAR values)

• WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan).

Take-away message for practice

In assessing a patient's problems, always think about their strengths, aspirations and resources (their StAR values), as well as their needs and difficulties.

The first process element of values-based practice is raised awareness of values, including one's own values, and raised awareness of the diversity of values. In this chapter, we explore the importance of this first element through the story of a young woman, Sally Coombs, following her admission to the acute care ward of her local psychiatric hospital.

We noted in Chapter 1 the importance for values-based practice of raising awareness of positive as well as negative values. It turns out that at the heart of Sally Coombs' story were positive and previously unrecognized aspects of her own values including a number of strengths, aspirations and resources. We call these StAR values. Raising awareness of these StAR values through an ongoing process of person-centered and multidisciplinary assessment is a crucial element of this story.

The clinical context

Sally Coombs, a 21-year-old art student, was brought to the acute admissions ward of her local psychiatric hospital by two police constables.